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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23403940">Monster Vision</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizard_socks/pseuds/lizard_socks'>lizard_socks</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Curses, Gen, Hallucinations, Light-Hearted</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2013-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2013-03-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:47:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,979</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23403940</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizard_socks/pseuds/lizard_socks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin is cursed to see everyone as if they were monsters. But that's OK - it makes them fun to look at.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Monster Vision</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="P12">It was early afternoon on a Sunday. Robin would be
driving back to Minneapolis soon, but first, he had arranged a
lunch date with his girlfriend Laura, who lived back in his
hometown. They didn't want anything fancy under such a tight
schedule, so they just went to an Arby's next to the grocery store
parking lot. <span class="T26">The restaurant was nothing fancy,
but there was a nice space in the back for seating, separated
from the main area by a wall with openings on either side.</span></p>
<p class="P2">Robin sat down and clasped his hands together. He had
never told this to anyone before, but he knew that he had to tell
it to her before the relationship went any further. Doing
otherwise would just be dishonest. Thankfully, she was the kind of
woman who would take you at your word. And, as Robin now recalled,
she believed in ghosts, so this wouldn't be much of a stretch.</p>
<p class="P6">“Here's the deal,” he said. “Remember when I was
seventeen or so, and I suddenly got way less shy?” <span class="T17">It had been three years ago, but they'd known each
other for much longer.</span></p>
<p class="P2">“I guess,” Laura said.</p>
<p class="P2">Robin didn't want to lay it on her right away. “<span class="T21">Well, </span>before,” <span class="T21">he said, </span>“<span class="T21">I</span> had a lot of trouble recognizing people.”
In reality, he hadn't been able to recognize people at all, but he
didn't want to come off as melodramatic. “Anyway, <span class="T21">what happened</span> was that <span class="T21">I</span>
didn't ever approach anyone, since <span class="T21">I</span> was
terrified of mistaking them for someone else.</p>
<p class="P9">“That all changed when <span class="T21">I</span> was
a junior in high school. <span class="T21">I had</span> gone into
a Wendy's late at night, when <span class="T21">I</span> was the
only customer there. The guy behind the counter had an attitude.
And, as it turned out,<span class="T21"> he knew </span>dark
magic.” <span class="T21">Robin glanced down at his food, not
sure what Laura would think. “He was the only other guy in the
building. A teenager. He was a shadowy sort of guy. He had dyed
his hair gray and made it all spiky.”</span></p>
<p class="P9">
  <span class="T23">Robin looked back up. “Anyway, he
yelled at me, and I got mad and started yelling back. It had
been a rough day for me, and I was just tired.”</span>
</p>
<p class="P8">“<span class="T23">Dark magic? F</span>unny that
someone with such a rare and valuable skill would be working a
low-paying job,” <span class="T22">Laura asked. He could tell
that she wasn't quite sure if he was being serious.</span></p>
<p class="P8"><span class="T22">“I </span>would have thought so
back then too,” <span class="T22">Robin said,</span> “if <span class="T22">he</span> hadn't put a curse on <span class="T22">me</span>.”</p>
<p class="P2">“Oh my god.” Laura's eyes widened in shock. “What did
he do? Did you report him to the police?” She leaned forward.
“They didn't believe you, did they?” she shouted.</p>
<p class="P2">“Calm down,” Robin told her. “First of all, they did
believe me. Why do you think they shut that place down?” He
pointed over at the empty building across the parking lot. "<span class="T23">He was the manager, and they had him arrested,
'cause you know, unlicensed magic is a felony. </span>And
second, the word 'curse' might be a bit misleading.”</p>
<p class="P2">“Just tell me what it did to you, OK?” Laura asked.</p>
<p class="P2">Robin took a deep breath.</p>
<p class="P1">
  <span class="T1">“Well, now, whenever I set my eyes on
a human being, I don't </span>
  <span class="T13">see</span>
  <span class="T14"> them as</span>
  <span class="T1"> a human being. I
see... a monster.”</span>
</p>
<p class="P2">“No,” Laura gasped, putting her hands to her face.</p>
<p class="P1">
  <span class="T1">“It's true. Any human. Even if
they're in a mirror, or on TV, or in Sports Illustrated.” Robin
leaned in. “It makes the swimsuit issue even </span>
  <span class="T2">more</span>
  <span class="T1"> ridiculous,” he said,
grinning.</span>
</p>
<p class="P2">“But isn't it scary?”</p>
<p class="P2">“Not at all. You see,” - Robin leaned back in his
chair - "I was always intimidated by other people. They all looked
alike to me, and I never knew how to tell them apart. But now,
when I look around, I see creatures of all shapes, sizes, and
colors. <span class="T23">I can finally recognize people I know!
</span>It makes everything so much easier on me.”</p>
<p class="P2">“Wow,” Laura said. She took a drink of her soda.
"There's one thing I want to know, though. What do I look like?”</p>
<p class="P2">“You?”</p>
<p class="P2">Robin looked at her face. Her yellow eyes, her mint
green fur, those soft, pointed ears on the top of her head... <span class="T16">She looked great, but how would he explain it?</span></p>
<p class="P2">“Okay, <span class="T16">so</span> imagine a giant,
human-sized cat with fur the color of spearmint gum.”</p>
<p class="P2">“Really?” Laura laughed.</p>
<p class="P2">“Yeah. <span class="T16">Don't get me wrong,</span>
you look amazing <span class="T23">to me</span>. Like, really
beautiful. It might be hard to imagine, but it's true.”</p>
<p class="P6">
  <span class="T17">Robin had started dating Laura last
summer, when he was working an internship in his hometown and
living with his parents. They were the first people he told
about his “monster vision,” as he put it. His dad took him to a
therapist; she told them that as long as the visions weren't
bothering Robin, it was fine to leave things as they were – much
to his relief. Robin had never told anyone else back home about
his visions until he told Laura, just now, but most of his
college friends back in the city had known for a while.</span>
</p>
<p class="P1">
  <span class="T1">On the long bus ride back to the
city, Robin made a note of looking at the other riders. Next to
him was a bluish-gray dragon in a business suit, busy checking
emails on his smartphone. His reptilian eyes darted back and
forth as he typed his reply. Why did he have to rush? Robin
figured the bus wouldn't get to the Cities for at least another
thirty minutes.</span>
</p>
<p class="P2">Across the aisle was a young girl with the snout of an
anteater. Her long ears were folded down under the hat she was
wearing, and her tail just barely stuck out from under her coat.
Sitting beside her was a large blue creature. He was nothing a
ball of fur save for his eyes and mouth, yet he had no trouble
getting off on the next stop. Of course Robin knew that he had
arms and legs like anyone else, but it was easy to forget that
sometimes.</p>
<p class="P3">
  <span class="T24">After Robin got off in Minneapolis,
he took the city bus back to his house. When he got there, his
roommate Ryan, a tall lizard-like creature with short fur that
resembled peach fuzz, opened the door for him. He had moved in a
few weeks ago, when Robin's old roommate (a mutual </span>
  <span class="T24">friend) got married.</span>
</p>
<p class="P10">“Where've you been?” he asked.</p>
<p class="P10">“I was getting lunch with Laura,” Robin replied.</p>
<p class="P10">“You could have brought me something. I don't know
what lizards eat, <span class="T25">though</span>.”</p>
<p class="P5">
  <span class="T7">“You're not </span>
  <span class="T3">really</span>
  <span class="T7"> a lizard,” Robin told him. “I just see you as one. I
told you that.” He set a roast beef sandwich on the table. “So I
just got you this.” He took off his winter coat and put on a
purple vest that matched his shirt.</span>
</p>
<p class="P5">
  <span class="T15">“It's cold,” Ryan complained. He sat
on the couch in front of the living room window. Since it was
summer, the sun was still out at this time of day; the sunlight
from the window behind him lit the whole room.</span>
</p>
<p class="P13">“I knew you were gonna ask, though.” Robin grinned.
“You don't have to eat it.”</p>
<p class="P10">Ryan chowed down on the sandwich and turned on the
TV. “What's she look like to you?” he asked, pointing at the lady
in the Swiffer ad.</p>
<p class="P3">
  <span class="T7">Robin was getting tired of this.“She
looks kinda nondescript, I guess. Like a cross between a cat and
a dog. Just generic animal stuff.” He looked over at Ryan, who
had just finished the sandwich. “For all you know, I could just
be making this up.”</span>
</p>
<p class="P10">“Well, maybe you are,” he said. “Maybe it's some sort
of psychological thing.”</p>
<p class="P4">
  <span class="T8">Robin sat down next to Ryan on the
couch. He had thought about that before. It might explain why he
was seeing things, at least to people who didn't believe in
magic. “But then how do you explain the Wendy's closing?” Robin
asked. “And the policeman believed me.”</span>
</p>
<p class="P11">“It's hard to run a franchise!” Ryan said. “They just
didn't have enough capital! And the police were probably just
humoring you, anyway.”</p>
<p class="P7">
  <span class="T20">“Well, I </span>
  <span class="T6">do</span>
  <span class="T20"> believe in magic,” Robin said, “and I'd like to
believe the police are protecting us. I don't want to feel
vulnerable.” He put his hands in his pockets and looked out the
window, </span>
  <span class="T20">watching the people go by.</span>
</p>
<p class="P4">
  <span class="T8">“Hey, I just thought of something
else,” Ryan said, out of the blue. “What do </span>
  <span class="T4">you</span>
  <span class="T9"> look like? You know, if
you look in the mirror?”</span>
</p>
<p class="P14">“Oh, I don't look any different than before.” Robin
shrugged. “It's kinda lame, but you know, if I couldn't see my own
face, it would be really hard to shave.”</p>
<p class="P4">
  <span class="T9">“</span>
  <span class="T10">So it's
like you're the only human in the world?” Ryan asked.</span>
</p>
<p class="P4">
  <span class="T10">“Yeah, I guess.” It occurred to
Robin that he was living in a cartoon. “</span>
  <span class="T11">Man,

it sounds so weird talking about it. But I've just gotten used
to it, you know?” He leaned back on the sofa. “</span>
  <span class="T12">If </span>
  <span class="T11">Trey </span>
  <span class="T12">was still living here, he</span>
  <span class="T11">
could tell you all of this. </span>
  <span class="T12">He lived
with me for two years, so I talked to him about it a lot</span>
  <span class="T11">.”</span>
</p>
<p class="P15">“Yeah, but he went and married that Canadian girl,”
Ryan said. “Moving to Canada. The dream of big-city liberals
everywhere.” <span class="T18">He sighed wistfully.</span></p>
<p class="P15">“They never do it because of the president, though,”
Robin said. “They do it for the girl.”</p>
<p class="P15">“<span class="T16">And speaking of girls.” Ryan put
his legs up on the armrest, and his (imaginary) tail almost
knocked Robin onto the floor. “What's my girlfriend look like?”</span></p>
<p class="P17">“Emily? She's this deep shade of purple, almost
indigo. And she doesn't have fur, just bare skin, but she's got a
long, thin tail with spikes down the top of it, and they go up to
her head. And her eyes are like a snake, but they're white-”</p>
<p class="P17">“What are you saying about me?” Emily demanded. <span class="T27">She </span>appeared from the kitchen <span class="T27">hallway next to the TV set</span>. <span class="T18">Her long tail stuck out from under her black dress
and was wrapped around her feet.</span></p>
<p class="P18">Robin looked over at her. “Hey, you should have let
me know you were here.” He tried to force a smile.</p>
<p class="P16">
  <span class="T16">“Robin! I am </span>
  <span class="T5">not</span>
  <span class="T16"> a snake! I am a </span>
  <span class="T5">human being</span>
  <span class="T16">!” She stomped
her foot on the floor.</span>
</p>
<p class="P18">“Give him a break, Emily,” Ryan said. “He wasn't
being mean to you! He just has this weird mind thing going on
where he thinks people are monsters.”</p>
<p class="P16">
  <span class="T16">“Like I'm gonna believe that,”
Emily scoffed. She stormed out the door, and Ryan got up without
saying a word, his feet making thumping noises as he ran after
her. Robin sighed. He knew he couldn't count on Ryan to ever
stay in one place.</span>
</p>
<p class="P19">The sight of Emily still frightened him a bit, but he
hoped that getting to know her better would fix that. After all,
when Ryan had first moved in, Robin saw him as a giant dinosaur
with sharp fangs. He had stayed a big, green reptile, but his
features had softened considerably; he looked much friendlier than
he had when they first met.</p>
<p class="P20"><span class="T19">Robin </span>picked up the <span class="T19">TV </span>remote and flipped over to ESPN, which
was showing the Minnesota/Nebraska game. <span class="T25">Ryan
came back inside, alone. “I can't catch up with her. She's too
fast!” He saw the TV. “I didn't know you followed football,” he
told Robin.</span></p>
<p class="P20"><span class="T25">Robin yawned. “Seeing nothing but
colorful monsters all day can take a toll on my senses
sometimes,” he explained. “I was never </span>into football
growing up, but since the players' faces <span class="T25">are</span>
covered by their helmets, <span class="T25">I</span> d<span class="T25">on</span>'t see them as monsters like everyone else.
<span class="T25">It's </span>a good way <span class="T25">for
me </span>to take a break and relax.”</p>
<p class="P21">He took a drink of water. “You wanna watch it with
me? The Gophers might do pretty well today. You never know.”</p>
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